2 found dead in Eatonville after apparent murder-suicide

EATONVILLE, Wash. - Detectives are investigating an apparent murder-suicide in the Pierce County town of Eatonville that have left two children without their parents.

Deputies initially were dispatched to the scene at about 11:05 a.m. after receiving calls about a man who reportedly shot himself inside a truck in the 100 block of Rainier Avenue North in Eatonville, in front of the local police station.

The man was found dead from the gunshot wound inside the truck.

"He pulled his truck up in front of his friend's house," said Det. Ed Troyer with the Pierce County Sheriff's Office. "They heard the shot, they didn't see it. They came out and found him in the vehicle with the weapon."

Deputies then conducted a check at the dead man's mobile home in the 100 block of Madison Avenue South in Eatonville and discovered his 37-year-old wife dead inside the home, Troyer said.

Investigators believe the man killed the woman, then drove to the police station and shot himself.

"Sad part about this is we have a 16-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy that belong to the couple that we are now with at the school, principal, counselors and Eatonville police," Troyer said.

Investigators seized a number of guns from inside the home and questioned neighbors about the couple. Witnesses say they saw the woman earlier in the day, but no one at the mobile home park heard gunfire, and no one is aware of any problems brewing between the couple.

"Most of the neighbors and people say that these people were not trouble, so what led up to this is yet to be determined," Troyer said.

Investigators say they are not aware of any prior calls to this residence. A family friend told us both the man and his wife had recently lost their jobs, but it's unclear if financial pressures played any role in this tragic crime.